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The Docter
the docter has regienurated 11 times Doctor Who main title card, 2010–present Genre Science fiction drama Created by Sydney Newman C. E. Webber Donald Wilson Starring Various Doctors (currently Matt Smith) Various companions (currently Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill) Theme music composer Ron Grainer Delia Derbyshire Opening theme Doctor Who theme music Composer(s) Various composers (currently Murray Gold) Country of origin United Kingdom No. of series 31 (as of 3 April 2010) (plus one TV film) No. of episodes 769 (as of 26 June 2010) (List of episodes) Production Executive producer(s) Various (currently Steven Moffat, Piers Wenger and Beth Willis) Running time 25 min. (1963–1984, 1986–1989) 45 min. (1985, 2005–present) Various other lengths Broadcast Original channel BBC One BBC HD (2009–present) CBC (2006-2008) Picture format 405-line black & white (1963–1967) 576i black & white (1968–1969) 576i colour (1970–1996) 576i 16:9 (2005–2008) 1080i (2009–present) Original run Classic series: 23 November 1963 – 6 December 1989 Television film: 12 May 1996 New series: 26 March 2005 – present Chronology Related shows K-9 and Company Torchwood The Sarah Jane Adventures K-9 Doctor Who Confidential Totally Doctor Who External links Official website Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a mysterious and eccentric humanoid alien known as the Doctor who travels through time and space in his spacecraft, the TARDIS (an acronym for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space), which normally appears from the exterior to be a blue 1950s British police box. With his companions, he explores time and space, faces a variety of foes and saves civilizations, helping others and righting wrongs, as well as improving the way people, aliens and robots choose to live their lives. The programme is listed in Guinness World Records as the longest-running science fiction television show in the world,1 and as the "most successful" science fiction series of all time, in terms of its overall broadcast ratings, DVD and book sales, iTunes traffic, and "illegal downloads".2 It has been recognised for its imaginative stories, creative low-budget special effects during its original run, and pioneering use of electronic music (originally produced by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop). The show is a significant part of British popular culture;34 in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, it has become a cult television favourite and has influenced generations of British television professionals, many of whom grew up watching the series. It has received recognition from critics and the public as one of the finest British television programmes, including the BAFTA Award for Best Drama Series in 2006, and five consecutive wins at the National Television Awards since 2005, in the Drama category.5 The programme originally ran from 1963 to 1989. After an unsuccessful attempt to revive regular production with a backdoor pilot in the form of a 1996 television film, the programme was relaunched in 2005, produced in-house by BBC Wales in Cardiff. The first series was produced by the BBC; series two and three had some development money contributed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), which was credited as a co-producer.6 Doctor Who also spawned spin-offs in multiple media, including the current television programmes Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures, the standalone K-9, and a single 1981 pilot episode of K-9 and Company. The Doctor has been principally played by eleven actors. The transition from one actor to another is written into the plot of the show as regeneration, whereby the character of the Doctor takes on a new body and, to some extent, new personality. Although each portrayal is different, and on occasion the various incarnations have even encountered one another, they are all meant to be aspects of the same character. The Doctor is currently portrayed by Matt Smith, who took up the role after David Tennant's final appearance in an episode broadcast on 1 January 2010.7 A fifth series of the relaunched programme began on 3 April 2010,8910 in which the Eleventh Doctor is accompanied by Amy Pond, portrayed by Karen Gillan.11 Contents hide 1 History 1.1 Public consciousness 2 Episodes 2.1 Missing episodes 3 Characters 3.1 The Doctor 3.1.1 Changes of appearance 3.1.2 Meetings of past and present incarnations 3.1.3 Revelations about the Doctor 3.2 Companions 4 Adversaries 4.1 Daleks 4.2 Cybermen 4.3 Davros 4.4 The Master 5 Music 5.1 Theme music 5.2 Incidental music 5.3 Special sound 6 Viewership 6.1 United Kingdom 6.2 International 7 Adaptations and other appearances 7.1 Dr. Who films 7.2 Spin-offs 7.3 Charity episodes 7.4 Spoofs and cultural references 7.5 Museums and exhibitions 7.6 Merchandise 7.7 Books 7.8 Blackpool Illuminations 8 Awards 8.1 BAFTAs 8.2 Other British awards 8.3 Science-fiction awards 8.4 Overseas awards 9 See also 10 References 10.1 Cited texts 11 Further reading 12 External links 12.1 Official websites 12.2 Past Official BBC Websites 12.3 Reference websites edit History Main article: History of Doctor Who Doctor Who first appeared on BBC television at 17:15 GMT on 23 November 1963,12 following discussions and plans that had been in progress for a year. The Head of Drama, Sydney Newman, was mainly responsible for developing the programme, with the first format document for the series being written by Newman along with the Head of the Script Department (later Head of Serials) Donald Wilson and staff writer C. E. Webber. Writer Anthony Coburn, story editor David Whitaker and initial producer Verity Lambert also heavily contributed to the development of the series.13 The series' title theme was composed by Ron Grainer and realised by Delia Derbyshire of the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.14 The programme was originally intended to appeal to a family audience.15 The BBC drama department's Serials division produced the programme for 26 series, broadcast on BBC One. Viewing numbers that had fallen (though comparably increased at some points), a decline in the public perception of the show and a less prominent transmission slot saw production suspended in 1989 by Jonathan Powell, Controller of BBC One.16 Although (as series co-star Sophie Aldred reported in the documentary Doctor Who: More Than 30 Years in the TARDIS) it was effectively, if not formally, cancelled with the decision not to commission a planned 27th series of the show for transmission in 1990, the BBC repeatedly affirmed that the series would return.17 While in-house production had ceased, the BBC was hopeful of finding an independent production company to relaunch the show. Philip Segal, a British expatriate who worked for Columbia Pictures' television arm in the United States, had approached the BBC about such a venture as early as July 1989, while the 26th series was still in production.17 Segal's negotiations eventually led to a television film. The Doctor Who television film was broadcast on the Fox Network in 1996 as a co-production between Fox, Universal Pictures, the BBC and BBC Worldwide. Although the film was successful in the UK (with 9.1 million viewers), it was less so in the United States and did not lead to a series. Licensed media such as novels and audio plays provided new stories, but as a television programme Doctor Who remained dormant until 2003. In September of that year, BBC Television announced the in-house production of a new series after several years of unsuccessful attempts by BBC Worldwide to find backing for a feature film version. The executive producers of the new incarnation of the series were writer Russell T Davies and BBC Cymru Wales Head of Drama Julie Gardner. It has been sold to many other countries worldwide (see Viewership). Doctor Who finally returned with the episode "Rose" on BBC One on 26 March 2005. There have been four further series in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2010 and Christmas Day specials in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. The fourth series began on BBC One on 5 April 2008. No full series was filmed in 2009 although four additional specials starring David Tennant were made. A fifth full-length series began in Spring 2010,18 with Steven Moffat replacing Davies as head writer and executive producer.19 The 2005 version of Doctor Who is a direct continuation of the 1963–1989 series, as is the 1996 telefilm. This differs from other series relaunches that have either been reimaginings or reboots (e.g., Battlestar Galactica and Bionic Woman) or series taking place in the same universe as the original but in a different time period and with different characters (e.g. Star Trek: The Next Generation and spin-offs).20 edit Public consciousness The programme rapidly became a national institution in the United Kingdom, with a large following among the general viewing audience.21 Many renowned actors asked for or were offered and accepted guest starring roles in various stories. With popularity came controversy over the show's suitability for children. Morality campaigner Mary Whitehouse repeatedly complained to the BBC in the 1970s over what she saw as the show's frightening or gory content;22 however, the programme became even more popular—especially with children. John Nathan-Turner, who produced the series during the 1980s, was heard to say that he looked forward to Whitehouse's comments, as the show's ratings would increase soon after she had made them.23 During the 1970s, the Radio Times announced that a child's mother said the theme music terrified her son. The Radio Times was apologetic, but the theme music remained.needed There were more complaints about the programme's content than its music.needed During Jon Pertwee's second season as the Doctor, in the serial Terror of the Autons (1971), images of murderous plastic dolls, daffodils killing unsuspecting victims and blank-featured policemen marked the apex of the show's ability to frighten children. Other notable moments in that decade included the Doctor apparently being drowned by Chancellor Goth in The Deadly Assassin (1976) and the allegedly negative portrayal of Chinese people in The Talons of Weng-Chiang (1977). It has been said that watching Doctor Who from a position of safety "behind the sofa" (as the Doctor Who exhibition at the Museum of the Moving Image in London was titled) and peering cautiously out to see if the frightening part was over is one of the great shared experiences of British childhood. The phrase has become commonly used in association with the programme and occasionally elsewhere.needed The Mark II fibreglass TARDIS used between 1980 and 1989A BBC audience research survey conducted in 1972 found that by their own definition of "any act(s) which may cause physical and / or psychological injury, hurt or death to persons, animals or property, whether intentional or accidental," Doctor Who was the most violent of all the drama programmes the corporation then produced.24 The same report found that 3% of the surveyed audience regarded the show as "very unsuitable" for family viewing.25 However, responding to the findings of the survey in The Times newspaper, journalist Philip Howard maintained that: "to compare the violence of Dr Who, sired by a horse-laugh out of a nightmare, with the more realistic violence of other television series, where actors who look like human beings bleed paint that looks like blood, is like comparing Monopoly with the property market in London: both are fantasies, but one is meant to be taken seriously."24 The image of the TARDIS has become firmly linked to the show in the public's consciousness. In 1996, the BBC applied for a trademark to use the TARDIS' blue police box design in merchandising associated with Doctor Who.26 In 1998, the Metropolitan Police Authority filed an objection to the trademark claim; but in 2002, the Patent Office ruled in favour of the BBC.27 The programme's broad appeal attracts audiences of children and families as well as science fiction fans.28 The 21st century revival of the programme has become the centrepiece of BBC One's Saturday schedule, and has "defined the channel."29 Since its return, Doctor Who has consistently received high ratings, both in number of viewers and as measured by the Appreciation Index.30 In 2007, Caitlin Moran, television reviewer for The Times, wrote that Doctor Who is "quintessential to being British."4 The film director Steven Spielberg has commented that "the world would be a poorer place without Doctor Who."31 edit Episodes Further information: List of Doctor Who serials Doctor Who originally ran for 26 series on BBC One, from 23 November 1963 until 6 December 1989. During the original run, each weekly episode formed part of a story (or "serial")—usually of four to six parts in earlier years and three to four in later years. Notable exceptions were the epic The Daleks' Master Plan, which aired in twelve episodes (plus an earlier one-episode teaser, "Mission to the Unknown", featuring none of the regular cast),32 almost an entire series of 7-episode serials (series 7), the 10-episode serial The War Games,33 and The Trial of a Time Lord, which ran for 14 episodes (albeit divided into three production codes and four narrative segments) during Series 23.34 Occasionally serials were loosely connected by a storyline, such as Series 16's quest for The Key to Time or Series 18's journey through E-Space and the theme of entropy. The programme was intended to be educational and for family viewing on the early Saturday evening schedule. Initially, it alternated stories set in the past, which taught younger audience members about history, with stories set either in the future or in outer space to teach them about science. This was also reflected in the Doctor's original companions, one of whom was a science teacher and another a history teacher. However, science fiction stories came to dominate the programme and the "historicals", which were not popular with the production team, were dropped after The Highlanders (1967). While the show continued to use historical settings, they were generally used as a backdrop for science fiction tales, with one exception: Black Orchid set in 1920s England.35 The early stories were serial-like in nature, with the narrative of one story flowing into the next, and each episode having its own title, although produced as distinct stories with their own production codes. Following The Gunfighters (1966), however, each serial was given its own title, with the individual parts simply being assigned episode numbers. What to name these earlier stories is often a subject of fan debate. Writers during the original run included: David Whitaker, Terry Nation, Henry Lincoln, Douglas Adams, Robert Holmes, Terrance Dicks, Dennis Spooner, Eric Saward, Malcolm Hulke, Christopher H. Bidmead, Stephen Gallagher, Brian Hayles, Robert Sloman, Chris Boucher, Peter Grimwade, Marc Platt, Ben Aaronovitch, Bob Baker and Dave Martin. The serial format changed for the 2005 revival, with each series usually consisting of thirteen 45-minute, self-contained episodes (60 minutes with adverts, on overseas commercial channels), and an extended episode broadcast on Christmas Day. Each series includes several standalone and multi-part stories, linked with a loose story arc that resolves in the series finale. As in the early "classic" era, each episode—whether standalone or part of a larger story—has its own title. Occasionally, regular-season episodes will exceed the 45-minute run time; examples have included the episodes Journey's End from 2008 and The Eleventh Hour from 2010, both of which exceeded an hour in length. 756 Doctor Who instalments have been televised since 1963, ranging between 25-minute episodes (the most common format), 45-minute episodes (for Resurrection of the Daleks in the 1984 series, a single season in 1985, and the revival), two feature-length productions (1983's "The Five Doctors" and the 1996 television film), five 60-minute Christmas specials, 60-minute Easter and Autumn specials in 2009, a 72-minute Christmas Special in 2007, and a 75-minute New Year's Special in 2009. Two mini-episodes, running about eight minutes each, were also produced for the 2005 and 2007 Children in Need charity appeals, while another mini episode was produced in 2008 for a Doctor Who-themed edition of The Proms. The revived series was filmed in PAL 576i DigiBeta wide-screen format and then filmised to give a 25p image in post-production using a Snell & Wilcox Alchemist Platinum. Starting from the 2009 special "Planet of the Dead", the series is filmed in 1080i for HDTV,36 and broadcast simultaneously on BBC One and BBC HD. edit Missing episodes Main article: Doctor Who missing episodes Between about 1964 and 1973, large amounts of older material stored in the BBC's various video tape and film libraries were either destroyed,37 wiped or suffered from poor storage which led to severe deterioration from broadcast quality. This included many old episodes of Doctor Who, mostly stories featuring the first three Doctors—William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, and Jon Pertwee. Following consolidations and recoveries the archives are complete from the programme's move to colour television (starting from Jon Pertwee's time as the Doctor), although a few Pertwee episodes have required substantial restoration; a handful have been recovered only as black and white films, and several survive in colour only as NTSC copies recovered from North America (a few of which are domestic, off-air Betamax tape recordings, not transmission quality). In all, 108 of 253 episodes produced during the first six years (most notably series 3, 4, & 5, from which 90 episodes are missing) of the programme are not held in the BBC's archives. It has been reported that in 1972 almost all episodes then made were known to exist at the BBC,38 whilst by 1978 the practice of wiping tapes and destroying 'spare' film copies had ended.39 No 1960s episodes exist on their original videotapes (all surviving copies being film copies), though some were transferred to film for editing before transmission, and these hence exist as originally transmitted. Some episodes have been returned to the BBC from the archives of other countries who bought copies for broadcast, or by private individuals who got them by various means. Early colour videotape recordings made off-air by fans have also been retrieved, as well as excerpts filmed from the television screen onto 8 mm cine film and clips that were shown on other programmes. Audio versions of all of the lost episodes exist from home viewers who made tape recordings of the show. In addition to these, there are off-screen photographs made by photographer John Cura, who was hired by various production personnel to document many of their programmes during the 1950s and 1960s, including Doctor Who. These have been used in fan reconstructions of the serials. These amateur reconstructions have been tolerated by the BBC, provided they are not sold for profit and are distributed as low quality VHS copies. One of the most sought-after lost episodes is Part Four of the last William Hartnell serial, The Tenth Planet (1966), which ends with the First Doctor transforming into the Second. The only portion of this in existence, barring a few poor quality silent 8 mm clips, is the few seconds of the regeneration scene, as it was shown on the children's magazine show Blue Peter. With the approval of the BBC, efforts are now under way to restore as many of the episodes as possible from the extant material. Starting in the early 1990s, the BBC began to release audio recordings of missing serials on cassette and compact disc, with linking narration provided by former series actors. "Official" reconstructions have also been released by the BBC on VHS, on MP3 CD-ROM and as a special feature on a DVD. The BBC, in conjunction with animation studio Cosgrove Hall has reconstructed the missing Episodes 1 and 4 of The Invasion (1968), using remastered audio tracks and the comprehensive stage notes for the original filming, for the serial's DVD release in November 2006. Although no similar reconstructions have been announced as of 2010, Cosgrove Hall has expressed an interest in animating more lost episodes in the future.40 In April 2006, Blue Peter launched a challenge to find these missing episodes with the promise of a full scale Dalek model as a reward.41 edit Characters edit The Doctor Main article: Doctor (Doctor Who) The Doctor is known to have changed appearance ten distinct times. These are the eleven known faces of the Doctor. (Top) L-R: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker (Middle) L-R: Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann (Bottom) L-R: Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt SmithThe character of the Doctor was initially shrouded in mystery. All that was known about him in the programme's early days was that he was an eccentric alien traveller of great intelligence who battled injustice while exploring time and space in an unreliable old time machine called the "TARDIS", whose name is an acronym for "Time And Relative Dimension(s) In Space." As it appears much larger on the inside than on the outside, the TARDIS has been described by the Third Doctor as "dimensionally transcendental," and the TARDIS embodies "Time Lord Physics: 'It's bigger on the inside than the outside,'" as gleefully explained in unison by the tenth Doctor and his companion Rose and by the Doctor and the bride in "The Runaway Bride" episode.42 Because of a malfunction of its chameleon circuit, which normally allows it to disguise itself in a form befitting its surroundings, it is stuck in the shape of a 1960s-style British police box after having disguised itself as one in 1963 London. However, not only did the initially irascible and slightly sinister Doctor quickly mellow into a more compassionate figure, it was eventually revealed that he had been on the run from his own people, the Time Lords of the planet Gallifrey. edit Changes of appearance As a Time Lord, the Doctor has the ability to regenerate his body when near death. Introduced into the storyline as a way of continuing the series when the writers were faced with the departure of lead actor William Hartnell in 1966, it has continued to be a major element of the series, allowing for the recasting of the lead actor when the need arises. The serial The Deadly Assassin suggested that a Time Lord can regenerate twelve times, for a total of thirteen incarnations. However at least one Time Lord - the Master - managed to circumvent this (in The Keeper of Traken) and in an episode of The Sarah Jane Adventures the 11th Doctor indicates there is no longer a limit to the number of times he can regenerate, making him effectively immortal.43 To date, the Doctor has fully gone through this process and its resulting after-effects on ten occasions, with each of his incarnations having their own quirks and abilities but otherwise sharing the memories and experience of the previous incarnations. w matt smith